Thirteen-year-old “Mahi” (pseudonym) from Khilgaon, Dhaka, starts his day by reaching for his tablet. Because he attends school in the day shift, he gets time in the morning — and he spends every free minute browsing social media. YouTube, TikTok and gaming apps like Free Fire dominate his routine. After school, the cycle continues. Social media has become an inseparable part of his small world.
His mother, “Nadia Khan” (pseudonym), struggles to control the situation.
“If I don’t give him the phone, he makes trouble. He gets irritated, refuses to eat, refuses to study. It feels like he’s addicted,” she said.
Mahi’s story mirrors the reality inside thousands of Bangladeshi households. Children’s addiction to social media has taken an alarming turn.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) reports that the number of internet users has crossed 130 million, and a significant share are minors. Experts estimate that 35–40 percent of Bangladeshi children aged 8–16 show some level of social media addiction, while 10–15 percent suffer from serious addiction.
A study published in the United States National Library of Medicine on school-going adolescents in Dhaka found 24.48 per cent showed mild internet addiction, 13.8 per cent moderate addiction and 1.04 per cent severe addiction.
Another study of 2,147 children reported 24.1 per cent had internet addiction, strongly linked to eating disorders and BMI. Adolescents at risk of disordered eating showed a 23.2 per cent addiction rate, and those with obesity faced 2.64 times higher risk than teens with normal weight.
Internet and social media use has surged rapidly since the Covid-19 pandemic. A recent survey found that 23 per cent of Bangladeshi children face severe online risks, with Facebook ranking as the most unsafe platform, followed by Instagram. Short-video platforms such as TikTok raise particular concern because their design keeps children scrolling for hours. Child protection experts say short-form videos trigger fast dopamine release, a key driver of addictive behaviour.
Easy access to the internet, widespread smartphone use and lack of parental supervision lie at the heart of the crisis. With joint family structures declining, parents in nuclear households often find it difficult to monitor children’s online habits. Many hand over phones simply to manage their own workload — a short-term solution that harms children in the long run.
Surveys by the Asian University for Women, BRAC and UNICEF show that many children aged 11–17 spend several hours daily on social media, with many exceeding four to six hours of screen time. In most cases, parents remain unaware of what their children watch or whom they interact with.
Digital safety awareness remains low in Bangladesh. Most families assume watching videos is the primary issue, without recognising deeper risks — cyberbullying, harmful content, online gaming traps and unsafe interactions with strangers. Although the government and several organisations promote safer internet use, the biggest gap lies inside households. Experts say parents must take the lead.
Research suggests parents can reduce addiction by setting screen-time limits, monitoring content, spending offline time with children, avoiding phones as rewards or punishment, and teaching digital literacy and online safety.
Law enforcement agencies are also receiving a growing number of complaints about the psychological impact of social media on children. Police units report cases involving online gambling, exposure to pornography, cyberbullying and harassment.
DIG Md Bashar Talukder, head of the CID Cyber Police Centre, told Kaler Kantho:
“Many complaints involve hacked Facebook accounts, defamation and posting of inappropriate photos. Cyberbullying is a major issue for adolescents.”
The Detective Branch’s Cyber Security Unit receives 20–30 cases and over 500 general diaries every month, nearly half involving school and college students. Officers also say many minors fall into online gambling and pornography.
Syed Harun-or-Rashid, Joint Police Commissioner of the DB Cyber Security and Support Centre, said:
“We get a lot of complaints. Many students suffer trauma when others spread their personal information online. I believe parents should monitor their children at least until they complete higher secondary. They should discourage excessive social media use.”
As digital access expands, experts warn that Bangladesh must act now to protect its young generation from long-term psychological and behavioural harm.
LND/SAE
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